A Hand-Book of the History of the Spanish and French Schools of Painting

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PREFACE.

ANY person who has turned over Kugler's "Handbook of Painting" in the original German, must have been struck with the summary manner in which the Spanish, French, and English schools are treated. The first of the three is disposed of in twenty-four pages, the French school occupies twenty, and that of England claims no more than thirteen. The abridged history of each school is indeed given with truth and conciseness; but there is a total want of proportion between these parts of the book and those which treat of the Italian, Flemish, Dutch and German masters. It was a sense of this defect which led me, when I undertook to edit the second part of the translation of Kugler, to propose to myself the compilation of a sketch of the Spanish and French schools, such as might serve in some degree as a manual for travellers, and might afford a cursory view of the history of art in those countries. In fact, a Hand-book ought not to aim at more than this; the reader should turn readily to the name and date of any artist, and see VOL, in. b

where his principal works are to be found. He should likewise he able to arrive at the character and the relative place occupied by each master, whilst the general history of the school is shortly given.

The reader is probably aware of the fact, that Kugler's work is now in the course of publication in Germany, in a form somewhat different from that which it originally bore. In the new edition, the history of painting will be treated as a whole—not in separate schools. Such a plan is for better, in some respects, than that originally adopted by the author; but, on the other hand, it is often less convenient to the traveller who visits a particular country for a short time only.

I have said thus much, because I am anxious that no pretensions should be ascribed to my book which do not properly belong to it. It does not profess to contain profound reflections, or to aim at originality. I have consulted the sources of knowledge which are open to every one, and I have endeavoured to take from them such information as I thought likely to be interesting or useful for my purpose. I have not scrupled to make extracts from authors whose opinions were worth having, or whose descriptions were characteristic, and I have for the most part avoided putting forward my own notions on the originality or merit of individual pictures—feeling that any such expression on the

part of a mere amateur is necessarily worth but little. It was not, however, right entirely to withhold my own opinion, where personal observation warranted me in stating it.

On this point I wish the reader to remember, that I bave no acquaintance with the school of Valencia, except so far as its productions may be seen at Madrid. The schools of Madrid and Seville I have had opportunities of studying and appreciating. The notices of the school of Aragon, contained in the following pages, are taken from the 10th volume of Minafio's " Topographical Dictionary of Spain/' where they are printed from a MS. of Cean Ber-mudez. In their Spanish shape, therefore, they are not readily accessible to the English reader; and I believe I may say that, short as the account of Spanish painting given in this Hand-book is, it is the most complete which has appeared in England up to the present time. I am happy to hear that Mr. Stirling of Keir has completed a work of a far more elaborate character, which would make it impossible for me to assert the same thing if I were writing a few months hence.

With regard to the French school, I cannot say that I bear any extraordinary love to its productions; but I have endeavoured to give as full and as impartial an account of its progress and its results as my information and limits would permit.